Dyffryn House to reopen its doors

Closed to the public since 1996, this once magnificent Victorian House will soon be reopening its doors to visitors.

NC Tasker: I did not supply this date and so cannot confirm its accuracy.

The three-storey mansion in South Wales was built by coal tycoon John Cory in 1893 and is considered to be one of the most important houses of its period.

Since the mid nineties the Grade II* listed Dyffryn House and its surrounding Grade I listed gardens have been owned by the Vale of Glamorgan council. NC Tasker: I did not supply this date and so cannot confirm its accuracy.

Following on from a major investment by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Cadw and the council the estate has now successfully been restored to its former glory.

The restoration of the house has been overseen by Nichola Tasker from chartered architects and historic building consultants – Rodney Melville and Partners, she said:

“We have been restoring the principle rooms of the house so they can be open to the public again. Many of these principle rooms were in significant decay because of failures to the roof leading to a number of leaks a few years ago.

“The restoration involves repairs to plasterwork, joinery, oak paneling, oak floors and decorative Jacobean chimneys. We’ve also conducted repairs on some of the stained glass in the Great Hall and we are doing a full rewire and reservice.

“In addition to the sensitivities surrounding a listed building there was also a number of endangered species on the site. There are bats in the house and there are great crested newts in the garden so we have had to get licenses in place from the Welsh Government in order to work in proximity to these animals.

“It’s immensely important for us to be involved in bringing this house back to life, I think it’s fantastic that the money has been found to support this project and we’re really behind it.”

Work began on the house in January 2012 and is due to be completed in February. As of January the house and gardens will be managed by the National Trust.

Speaking on the relationship with the National Trust, Councillor Gwyn John, who is the Vale Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, Parks, Culture and Sports Development, said:

“The property will have an exciting future as part of the National Trust’s portfolio and we look forward to seeing the gardens and house developed further, which will benefit tourism in the Vale and secure the future of this important and historic estate.”